


Life Has Changed (In Oh So Many Ways)

by orphan_account



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: 1965, 2020, :’), Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Austria, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Canon Gay Character, Domestic Fluff, Eating Disorders, Filming, Films, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gay, Gay Character, Gay Pride, Gay Rights, Genderfluid, Genderfluid Character, Help!, Homosexuality, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, McLennon, Movie: Help!, Multi, No COVID-19 :D, Self Confidence, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem, Self-Esteem Issues, Snow, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, otherwise I have no plans, sort of??, starrison, this gon be wild boys, tho I’m planning to make it just super fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:07:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26739328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Paul’s eyes shot open. The sky was pitch black, and freezing cold snowflakes nipped at his exposed hands and face. The hazy high was gone, and replaced with a strong feeling of hunger.In short, he felt terrible.≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡While filming the movie Help! the Beatles end up falling into the time-space continuum - literally. They end up in 2020, a much different time from the psychedelic 1960s. Will the boys ever get back home? More importantly, will they even want to?
Relationships: George Harrison/Ringo Starr, John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	1. Prologue: Time Will Pass Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, thanks for reading my fic! I hope you’re doing well :) I’m going to try to be as accurate as possible, but I am going to take some creative liberties. Anyways, enjoy the prologue! 🤍

Obertauern, Austria. 1965. Four boys, eyes bloodshot and glazed over, giggled outlandishly as the cold wind lapped at their bodies. They waved foolishly at the camera below them, grinning wide. The cameraman and producers sighed a sigh of both annoyance and fondness. Sure, the Beatles high out of their minds were a pain to deal with when you had a movie to film, but at least for these scenes the point was for them to be silly, for them to fool around in the snow.

”Hey Paulie!” John yelled to his bandmate, who was right next to him. With a laugh, Paul turned and gazed into John’s ~~beautiful~~ brown eyes and somehow they communicated. Within a few seconds, they were tumbling down the snowy hill, their laughs echoing throughout the area. George and Ringo followed shortly after, Ringo sniffling slightly as he clumsily rolled down to join the other two.

As the cameraman adjusted his positioning, the boys formed into a wobbly line consisting of Paul, George, Ringo, and John from left to right. Gripping hands, they all shared a look and with a smile, they fell into the snow. And kept falling. And falling. And falling. And falling. And fallingfallingfallingfallingfall-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand thank you for reading! Don’t worry, they’ll be fine :) Comments and kudos are appreciated! I don’t like to set update schedules, but I hope to have the first chapter out within 3-4 days! Have a wonderful day/afternoon/night.


	2. Chapter 1: Never Leave You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, thanks for reading my fic! I hope you’re doing well <3 I’m going to try to be as accurate as possible, but I am going to take some creative liberties. Anyways, enjoy the first chapter! 💖

_Glancing around, Paul found himself in the EMI Studio where he and the lads had often recorded. The room was completely silent, with no sounds of instruments or talking to be heard from anywhere. Maybe he'd gone deaf. His eyes wandered to two figures on the ground, who he quickly identified as John and Geo. They sat on the hardwood floor, both wearing headphones, holding electric guitars and looking very odd. John had these tiny little glasses perched atop his nose, along with these weird mutton chops, though as always he looked enveloped in his own thoughts as he tapped a rhythm out on the floor. George...well, George looked almost the same, if not for his hair being a bit grown out and surprisingly wavy. He strummed on his guitar lightly, and seemed to say something, but Paul still couldn't hear._

_"Heh, maybe." Startled, Paul turned to find **himself** responding to whatever Geo had said. He looked roughly the same, with his hair being almost the same and his eyes just as brown. God, it was really strange to watch yourself do something without any control over it. The other Paul sat on a cheap cushioned chair, holding his bass guitar and wearing headphones loosely. In the corner of his eye, he could see George nod with almost a frown, redirecting his focus back to strumming the guitar. The other Paul began humming a little tune and playing a bassline alongside it. That must be the song they're recording. It was quite catchy, honestly._

_Suddenly, both him and the other Paul looked up to see an equally different-looking Ringo greeting the other three and sitting down at his drum set. Ringo also had longer hair and a moustache, but he still had the bluest eyes and the sweetest smile as he laughed at something John had said. Other Paul chuckled a bit, and leaned over to adjust the amplifier settings, George doing the same. Paul sat down beside other Paul, and tried to relax while they fiddled with their amps, but he just...couldn't. Usually whenever they were recording, they'd be fooling around and laughing, not awkwardly sitting next to each other as the studio filled with tension. What had happened?_

_"Alright boys, we ready?" Other Paul glanced from the control room to the three with a slightly raised eyebrow. John shook his head a little and made some comment, Ritchie gave a thumbs up, and Geo simply nodded. "One, two, three-"_

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Paul’s eyes shot open. The sky was pitch black, and freezing cold snowflakes nipped at his exposed hands and face. The hazy high was gone, and replaced with a strong feeling of hunger.

In short, he felt terrible.

Quietly groaning, he shifted his weight onto his side and managed to sit himself up with shaky, cold hands. Where was he? What happened? Was he still dreaming? Most importantly, where was John?

Looking around, all that surrounded and enveloped him was darkness, and snow continued to pile up from above. If he recalled correctly, he had been filming for the Help! movie and was just having fun with the others. Y'know, attempting to ski, joking with George, fooling around with John. Then, Paul had formed a line with the rest of the boys and were going to fall back onto the snowy hill, just for the hell of it. But instead, Paul had just kept falling. And falling. And falling.

"Uh, hello?" He called out into the night, hoping for a response. Paul was beginning to think that perhaps, he was dead. Maybe the dream was just a glimpse into a future he never would get to see...oh, what was he kidding? He couldn't be dead. He couldn't leave Johnny, couldn't leave Rings or George, and he had more music to make. Yet, as he sat there, hunger gnawing at his stomach and feet freezing, waiting for a response that would never come, he reconsidered. Paul was dead, wasn't h-

Out of the blue, something collided with his side. Immediately looking over, he saw Geo on the ground, coughing and laughing as he tried to get snow out of his mouth. Paul laughed too, out of relief that he had a friend, and at George's predicament. 

"How's the snow taste, Geo?"

"Oh, feck off," laughed George, looking at Paul with narrowed eyebrows and a big smile. Eventually, when they both had calmed down, Geo had looked around and turned back to Paul with the most confused expression. "...Where are we, exactly?"

"You tell me," Paul exclaimed, adding: "I thought I was dead until you, erm...collided with me? 

"Well, I thought I was still in bed!" Geo huffed, standing up and brushing off the snow that clung to his pants. "Anyways, 'm starvin'. Should try to find some food."

"But I'm starvin' too! And what if John's out 'ere too? I don't wanna leave 'im to freeze, y'know?" He protested, standing up as well. 

"I swear Paul, yer always so obsessed with-" As George took a step to the left, he tripped and fell. The sounds of Ringo's sickly hacking were soon heard, along with John's tired and grumpy voice as Geo flailed around, spreading snow onto everyone.

"The hell, Geo?" John snapped, pushing George off of him and sitting up. As soon as Paul laid eyes on him, Paul was enamored again. Fuck, even with messy hair and sleepy eyes, John was still so attractive. In a platonic way, of course. John picked up a clump of snow and stared at it with confusion. "'n why the feck is 'ere snow in me - oh."

He looked around and saw the swaths of snow surrounding him, then to the still-coughing Ringo who was being comforted by George, to Paul standing above him. Soon, John was pulled into a tight hug by Paul, and before he even realized it, he was crying.

"Woah, woah, woah Macca, why're ye crying? Is this tha apocalypse or som'thin'?" said John with a bit of panic in his voice, as he scrambled to hold Paul's hand in an awkward attempt at comfort. Instead, Paul began laughing as he squeezed John's hand. 

"I dunno why 'm cryin', I guess 's because I thought I was dead 'n I was gonna lose you," Paul sputtered, gripping onto John even tighter. John frowned, and nuzzled into his shoulder.

"'s okay, I gotcha now," John whispered, and the two just laid there for a while, in the snow. It should've been pretty uncomfortable and cold, but the warmth John radiated and the happiness he brought Paul seemed to make that all go away.

"Would the lovebirds happen t' have any sort of drink or tissues on 'em?" George's voice broke the moment, and a panicked Paul got off of John and sat down next to Geo and Ritchie, who was still coughing. Fuck, he had blocked the pair out of his mind. Paul hoped George was just joking, because he couldn't be caught by anyone. He couldn't lose John.

"Eh, I got noth'n'. Macca?" John shrugged after a quick search through his pockets, and his gaze was redirected towards his bandmate. God, his eyes were so enthralling and pretty. "...Macca?"

"Erm, uh, yes, wait wait no, no." He sputtered, glancing towards Geo nervously. Luckily, George had just chuckled and rolled his eyes. Rings' coughing had slowed down too, so hopefully he'd be alright. Suddenly, John had shuffled to sit next to a madly-blushing Paul, with John grinning knowingly.

"So, Ritchie's sick again, eh? 'nd uh, where are we?" John asked, eyeing an annoyed Ringo up and down before glancing at Geo, who shrugged at him.

"I dunno, I mean it looks like we're outside still," John laughed; of course they were outside. George rolled his eyes and quickly explained himself. "In the same place as we were."

"Mmh, I really don' care," Ringo piped up, voice scratchy. "I jus' want somewhere warm."

"I'd love that too, but we still don't one hundred percent know where tha feck we are, or where the hotel is. S' I'd say we just succumb ta frostbite right here and now," John stated dryly, looking around into the darkness. Paul scoffed and lightly slapped his arm.

"We are **not** gonna die, thank you very much Johnny, 'cause the hotel is uh..." Paul looked around wildly before assuredly pointing in a random direction. "..rrrright over there! C'mon lads, let's go!"

John snorted and rolled his eyes, but got up anyways. George shrugged as he grabbed Ringo by the shoulders and helped him get to his feet. John hesitated before going over and helping Rings from the other side. Paul waited to make sure they were ready, and then the four of them continued into the darkness.

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

After what felt like hours, the boys had come face-to-face with their hotel. Literally.

"Paulie, yer such an idiot," John roared with laughter after Paul had collided with the building. Paul only huffed in response, cheeks red. Meanwhile, George had Ringo lean against the hotel walls while Geo fiddled with the door handles. 

"Uh, I think the door's locked," He yelled back to the chattering John and Paul, and the group fell silent. Paul and Geo shared a worried look, but instead John simply shrugged.

"'s okay, I can just break in," John looked up and down the nearest window, and before anyone could react, John had kicked the window and it shattered. Immediately, sirens began blaring from inside the building, and a female receptionist glanced up and made eye contact with John, absolutely terrified.

"JOHN YOU'RE A FUCKIN' IDIOT." Paul screamed, yanking John away and back into the darkness.

John just shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand thank you for reading! John's an idiot but we love him anyways :') Comments and kudos are appreciated, and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night ^^


	3. Chapter 2: If She's Gone I Can't Go On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, thanks for reading my fic! I hope you’re doing well <3 I’m going to try to be as accurate as possible, but I am going to take some creative liberties. Also, most of the dialogue in this chapter is in German, due to them having to communicate with Austrians, but I included translations in the end notes that you can refer to know what they're all saying ^^ Anyways, enjoy the chapter! 💚

It wasn't long before the Austrian police had shown up, and events continued to be chaotic as ever.

"Es tut uns leid - es war wirklich nur ein Unfall," Paul pleaded with hands up as policemen pointed guns at the four Beatles huddled up against the outside hotel walls. John was laughing incessantly, Ringo was slumped against the wall and coughing every now and then, Paul was desperately babbling apologies with fear on his face, and George was leaning against the wall next to Ringo with arms crossed. Honestly, he just wanted to curl up in their hotel room with Ritchie, eat some fish and chips, and listen to the radio, if they could, but it seemed like the next building they'd be entering would be a police station.

"...du sprichst Deutsch?" Suddenly, one of the policemen lowered his gun with hesitancy, a perplexed look on his face. Geo snorted and brushed back a strand of hair, but before he or anyone else could respond to the question John spoke.

"Natürlich können wir, es ist nicht schwer." He remarked smugly, causing Paul to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. The policeman narrowed his eyes.

"Sieh mal, es tut uns wirklich leid und wir würden uns freuen, wenn du die Waffen niederlegst, Kay?" explained Paul, a nervous smile on his face as he occasionally glared at John, who only giggled in return. "Bitte?"

"Nur wenn Sie uns sagen, wie Sie alle auch hier sind." Another policeman said with edge in his voice, gun firmly held and pointed at Ringo, who blinked and put his hands up shakily. George shook his head and stepped in front of his best friend, shooting daggers into the policeman's eyes. Glancing fearfully at the standoff, Paul looked back at the policemen with confusion.

"Nun, wir sind im Schnee aufgewacht, wer weiß warum, und wir sind ausgegangen, um zu versuchen, das Hotel zu finden," John remarked, nodding towards the snow and shrugging as he spoke. Paul rolled his eyes, but shuffled closer to John anyways. "Obwohl offensichtlich, ist es illegal."

"Das habe ich nicht gemeint - oh, was auch immer. Senke deine Waffen." The policeman commanded, and slowly, they all lowered their weapons. Paul sighed in relief, looking at John with a smile despite John being the start of this entire fiasco. He smiled back, a real, genuine grin. George sighed as well, and enveloped Ringo in a big hug, despite the sick man's squirming. "Du kommst aber immer noch mit."

"What-erm, was?" blurted out Geo, looking back at the men while he still held onto Rings.

"Äh ... sagen wir mal, ihr solltet nicht alle hier sein ... gerade jetzt," The head policeman stumbled over his words awkwardly, struggling to explain. "Also bringen wir Sie viel zum Bahnhof, bis wir herausfinden, was wir mit Ihnen machen sollen."

"Th' fuck does that mean?" John narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms in defiance. 

"Johnny, please, let's just go with 'em. We're the Beatles after all, I doubt they'd do anythin' to us, right?" Paul had sighed, and chuckled a bit as he spoke. John grumbled something, but before he could protest any more, Paul had grabbed him by the arm and yanked him along, following the police back into the darkness with a bit of hesitance. George shrugged, and stood up straight, helping Ritchie up as well as he leaned on Geo's shoulder. 

"Er ist krank, verstehst du?" George said after a policeman gave the pair a funny look, but soon afterwards the policeman looked sympathetic and fell back to help Ringo as well. Soon, the boys were being ushered into one of many odd-looking police cars.

"Was für ein Auto ist das, eine seltsame österreichische Marke?" John commented as he observed the car, glancing at a policeman for a response but ultimately being ignored. The four of them squeezed into the backseat, refusing to leave each other's side even though having been offered another car for some of them to get into. The front lights of the police cars lit up the area formerly taken over by nightfall, and George leaned on the window while John and Paul bantered, watching the snowflakes fall from the cloudy night sky. Weather and nature had always fascinated Geo since he was a young lad, and he found it incredibly interesting how each snowflake was different, never the same as any other. Sort of like humans, huh?

Ringo sniffled and leaned onto George's shoulder, and he sighed wistfully. Though he was very confused as to how they had ended up in the snow and the odd questions the Austrian police had fired at the four of them, moments like these of temporary peace is what George felt life was meant for. Glancing over to John and Paul, who were arguing over John's driving capabilities, he raised an eyebrow and smiled. He may tease them two often, but their bond was really quite something. As he looked down at Ritchie, Geo hoped to one day have someone look at him the way John would admire Paul.

Before George knew it, they had arrived at the police station. It was a medium sized brown building that seamlessly blended in with the neighborhood around it and looked more like a town home than anything. The police cars' lights flickered off, and he blinked a few times as his eyes readjusted to the darkness. What time was it, anyways?

"Hey, Mr. Polizist?" giggled John as he stepped out of the car, while Paul snorted and tried his best to hide his wide grin. Geo shook his head and helped Rings out of the car from the other side. "Yer a pig."

Luckily, the policeman that had been driving the car didn't seem to know any English, and only tilted his head at John confusingly. This only caused John to burst into laughter alongside Paul as they all were walked into the station. It was just as dark as outside for a moment until someone flicked the lights on, revealing a minimalistic blue-and-white room. A rectangular reception desk stood at the back wall, with two cushioned black swivel chairs seated behind it. On the table there were two unrecognizable rectangle black devices for each seat, accompanied by a typewriter keyboard and a oval black...thing. Furthermore, on either side of the room were three small white-and-blue wicker chairs, and in the middle there was a fluffy white carpet leading from the entrance to the reception table. In the back, the wall separated and revealed two different pathways leading to stairways that were surrounded by gray curtained windows. 

"Certainly 'n interesting layout, huh?" Paul said with a face of indifference as he took in the odd room. Both John and George made noises of agreement, and Paul wandered over to the left side of the room and plopped down in the chair closest to the desk. John quickly sat next to him, and whispered to his love about who knows what, leaving Ringo to look from the one remaining chair to George, unsure if he should sit in it or not. Geo nodded with a smile, gesturing to the empty chair, and Ritchie hesitantly sat down in it.

"Könnte ich einen dieser Stühle nehmen und ..." Before George could finish, a policeman nodded as he sat down behind the reception desk and began furiously typing away on the typewriter keyboard. Geo wandered over to one of the chairs on the other side of the room, picked it up, and put it down next to Ringo. He sat down, with an arm around his best friend, and watched the policemen type on their typewriter keyboards. "Äh, was sind das für Dinge?"

"...computers?" One of the policemen responded, hurriedly glancing over at the lads before becoming refocused on the black rectangle. John snorted, narrowing his eyes.

"Nein, das sind nicht." He retorted, raising an eyebrow at the policeman. Paul nodded in agreement with a look of assertion. "...welches Datum haben wir?"

Both policemen stopped typing immediately, and the room entered an awkward silence that was filled with tension. At first, George was a bit confused as to why John would ask that, but he soon understood. The whole situation they'd found themselves in was odd, from falling through the snow in the daytime and into the void, to waking up in the dead of night surrounded by snow, to the weird questions the policemen asked, to the police cars and room layout and furniture...it was like they were in the future. And honestly, they probably were. Which was absolutely terrifying. That would mean that George might've just lost Pattie, lost his parents, friends, family, Eppy, basically everyone he knew besides John, Paul and Rings. The whole culture and world would be different, and would anyone even remember The Beatles? Suddenly, Geo didn't feel so at peace.

"Es ist zwei Uhr morgens am 19. März." A policeman piped up with hesitance, but John wasn't biting. He stood up, and walked over to the desk, leaning on it as he stared down one of the policemen. Paul watched him with a bit of panic, worried that he would hurt the man, but didn't move.

"Sagen Sie mir, guter Herr, _welches **Jahr** ist es_?" John said with delicacy yet venom, attempting to threaten the truth out of the policemen. George watched with curiosity as both policemen shared a nervous look, before one of them swallowed and spoke.

"... Es ist 2020."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand thank you for reading! The boys have figured out that they're in the future, but how will they react? Comments and kudos are appreciated, and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night ^^
> 
> German Translations (the German dialogue has been taken from Google Translate, so it may not be completely accurate)
> 
> Es tut uns leid - es war wirklich nur ein Unfall, = We're sorry - really, it was just an accident,
> 
> ...du sprichst Deutsch? = ...you speak German?
> 
> Natürlich können wir, es ist nicht schwer. = 'Course we can, it isn't hard.
> 
> Sieh mal, es tut uns wirklich leid und wir würden uns freuen, wenn du die Waffen niederlegst, Kay? = Look, we're really sorry 'nd we'd appreciate if you put the guns down, 'kay?
> 
> Bitte? = Please?
> 
> Nur wenn Sie uns sagen, wie Sie alle auch hier sind. = Only if you tell us how you're all even here.
> 
> Nun, wir sind im Schnee aufgewacht, wer weiß warum, und wir sind ausgegangen, um zu versuchen, das Hotel zu finden, = Well, we woke up in the snow, who knows why, 'nd we went out to try 'n find the hotel,
> 
> Obwohl offensichtlich, ist es illegal. = Though apparently, 's illegal.
> 
> Das habe ich nicht gemeint - oh, was auch immer. Senke deine Waffen. = That's not what I meant - oh, whatever. Lower your weapons.
> 
> Du kommst aber immer noch mit. = You're still coming with us, though.
> 
> Was? = What?
> 
> Äh ... sagen wir mal, ihr solltet nicht alle hier sein ... gerade jetzt, = Uh...let's say you're all not supposed to be here...right now,
> 
> Also bringen wir Sie viel zum Bahnhof, bis wir herausfinden, was wir mit Ihnen machen sollen. = So, we'll be taking you lot to the station until we figure out what to do with you.
> 
> Er ist krank, verstehst du? = He's sick, y'see?
> 
> Was für ein Auto ist das, eine seltsame österreichische Marke? = What kinda car is this, some sort of queer Austrian brand?
> 
> Hey, Mr. Polizist? = Hey, Mr. Policeman?
> 
> Könnte ich einen dieser Stühle nehmen und ... = Could I take one of these chairs 'nd...
> 
> Äh, was sind das für Dinge? = Uh, what are those things?
> 
> Nein, das sind nicht. = No, those aren't.
> 
> ...welches Datum haben wir? = ...what's tha date?
> 
> Es ist zwei Uhr morgens am 19. März, = The time is two AM on March 19th,
> 
> Sagen Sie mir, guter Herr, welches Jahr ist es? = Tell me, good sir, what year is it?
> 
> ... Es ist 2020. = ...It's 2020.


	4. Chapter 3: I Could Never Really Live Without You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, thanks for reading my fic! I hope you’re doing well <3 I’m going to try to be as accurate as possible, but I am going to take some creative liberties. Also, some of the dialogue in this chapter is in German, due to them having to communicate with Austrians, but I included translations in the end notes that you can refer to know what they're all saying ^^ Anyways, enjoy this chapter! 💞

"...Oh." That was all John could utter. Sure, he had expected it to be the future, but it was still hard to hear that he was in 2020 - fifty-five years from where they had all been just a day ago. Though, he didn't have much to lose, did he? All he really cared about anymore was Aunt Mimi, Brian, and the lads. Everyone else that he ever gave a shite about was dead. He supposed he would miss Cynthia and Jules too, but their relationship was complicated. At least he had Rings, George, and _Paul_. God, what would John be able to do if Macca wasn't with him? 

Relenting from his stark gaze at the frightened Austrian policeman, John turned around and sat down beside a depressed Paul and a lightly coughing Ringo. Glancing over next to Ritchie, George looked quite defeated, shoulders hung low and brows furrowed. They had all lost their parents now, huh? Turning to Macca, he wrapped an arm around his mate, who wore a frown as cloudy, distant brown eyes looked towards the marble tile floor. Jumping at the contact that brought him back to reality, Paul glanced at John with the saddest look John had ever seen. He needed to keep up his strong, uncaring exterior, but how could he say no to that face?

"'s fine, Macca. We'll be fine, 'kay?" John ruffled the boy's hair and smiled in an attempt to comfort him. Fuck, he wished he could just kiss him right here, right now. Paul blinked as they shared a loving gaze, but soon shook his head.

"But - but, I've lost my da', 'n Mike, 'n Jane...what 'm I gonna do, Johnny?" Paul said, sniffling as he rested his jaw on his hands and leaned forwards. 

"Oh, yer father wasn't too good t'ya anyways, and you can do without Mike, 'nd Jane? You haven't seen her in a month, 'n we have each other, right?" spoke John, as Macca looked at him with teary eyes. Really, it wasn't the best way of comforting someone, but it seemed to work, and the two shared a long, warm embrace. John was about to give Paul a kiss on the cheek until they heard the doors open again, which sent the both of them back into a proper position, with John's legs crossed and Paul sitting like a fancy English schoolboy. The four lads eyed the policeman who walked in, balancing in his arms four paper bags imprinted with a large yellow M on one side, and the phrase "ich liebe es." in purple letters on the other. The bewildered policeman made eye contact with the four, and he blinked wildly, taken aback by the sight of them.

"'Ello." Paul nodded to the man with a straight face, while John grinned and did a little salute. Geo muttered a formal greeting and put on a forced smile, and Ringo managed to open one eye and raise a confused eyebrow as he leaned on George's shoulder. The policeman greeted them back, before glancing to the other police at the reception desk and asking silently for an explanation.

"Zeitreise oder so, wer weiß," One of them answered with a shrug, and the policeman made an affirmative noise before setting down the bags on the desk and making small talk with the same policeman. As the lads watched in curiosity, the smell of chips and something completely new wafted throughout the room and just the thought of food piqued their interest. Usually it was always Geo that would be excitable over food, but they were all starving and probably hadn't eaten in a day or two. Snapped out of whatever existential trance he was in, George inquired first.

”Ähm, was ist in diesen Taschen?” The lad asked, leaning forwards a bit and winking at the policeman. The policeman blinked, looked at Geo, then the bags of food and then back at George.

”McDonalds?” He replied with a confused look, but upon seeing the equally perplexed looks from John, Geo, and Paul, he paused and thought for a second. “... hatten Sie diese nicht alle in den sechziger Jahren?”

George shook his head, then looked at John and Macca, who shrugged in unison.   
  
”Ich glaube nicht,“

”Möchten Sie etwas probieren? Ich habe viel gekauft.” The policeman offered, and in the blink of an eye John had snatched a random bag from the desk and rummaged through it eagerly. He first took out a small bag of chips coated in salt, and handed them over to Geo, who began munching on them immediately. Fish and chips were his favorite food after all, so John assumed he'd like the chips on their own. Then, while John checked Rings over and noticed that he was completely passed out on George's shoulder, Macca took a small cardboard box that read "10 Hühnernuggets". Chicken nuggets were probably just tiny little chicken pieces, right? That didn't sound too bad. Turning around and seeing what Paul had stolen, John chuckled before reaching into the bag and grabbing a cheeseburger, leaving another pack of nuggets and some more fries at the bottom. The policeman watched in amusement as the three dug into their food like it was some delicious rarity, and handed the other busy policemen clacking away at their typewriter keyboards two larger burgers before taking the other bags upstairs.

"This is feckin' disgusting," Paul muttered, grimacing as he chewed on a chicken nugget and earning a confused look from John. Geo raised an eyebrow as well, leaning over to see Paul with cheeks full of chips. 

"I think it's perfectly fine, maybe even **good**." said John sarcastically in between bites of his burger. Paul simply huffed in response and tossed the half-eaten box of chicken nuggets back into the box before leaning back against the walls of the police station.

"Eh, ta me all food's good food," George commented, licking off his fingers covered in salt from the chips. Before Paul could argue back in defense of himself, one of the policemen at the reception desk spoke awkwardly.

"Äh, wir bringen Sie vier zu einem DNA-Test und wahrscheinlich einer allgemeinen Untersuchung Ihrer Gesundheit in ein Krankenhaus in Wien." They looked up in confusion. Who knew what a DNA test was, but John was pretty sure they were all mostly healthy and fine (minus Ringo of course, but he just had some common cold that'd be resolved in a few days, and John was sure he was overweight but otherwise he was good) and there wasn't any need to see a doctor. Plus, Vienna was four hours away, and that would just mean a long, boring car ride.

"Was zum Teufel ist ein 'DNA' -Test und warum müssen wir nachsehen? Ringo wird es gut gehen, er hat gerade eine zufällige Erkältung bekommen," John retorted, and Paul nodded along with him, while George continued to eat his chips. The policeman looked a bit offended, before typing something and looking back at John.

"Bei einem DNA-Test oder anscheinend einem Desoxyribonukleinsäuretest spucken Sie im Grunde genommen in ein Röhrchen, und die Ärzte können feststellen, ob Sie es wirklich sind oder nicht - nicht, dass ich bezweifle, dass Sie wirklich Sie sind, wir brauchen nur eine Bestätigung." The man stumbled over his words a bit as he spoke hurriedly, already having been spooked by John earlier. Paul made the most confused look, while George raised his eyebrows.

"That's some futuristic shit," John and Paul laughed out in unison, as John finished his burger and tossed the wrapper into the bag. It sounded completely unrealistic and fictional, but the policeman had used some big, fancy word, so it was probably real. "Eh, gut, wir werden gehen,"

"Okay, dann komm schon." Both policemen got up while holding their burgers, and nodded towards the door. Shaking his head wildly, Geo pouted at John.

"I didn't get to finish me chips though..." He frowned, but John only scoffed, picking up the paper bag.

"We're takin' the bag with us, ye idiot." George sighed in relief, and woke up Ritchie gently. John rolled his eyes, but still helped the sleepy Ringo up onto his feet. Soon enough, they were cramming into a police car again, and speeding off into the snowy darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand thank you for reading! They've discovered the wonders of fast food, oh joy. Comments and kudos are appreciated, and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night ^^
> 
> German Translations (the German dialogue has been taken from Google Translate, so it may not be completely accurate)
> 
> ich liebe es. = i'm lovin' it.
> 
> Zeitreise oder so, wer weiß, = Time travel or something, who knows,
> 
> Ähm, was ist in diesen Taschen? = Erm, whas' in those bags?
> 
> ... hatten Sie diese nicht alle in den sechziger Jahren? = ...did you all not have these in the sixties?
> 
> Ich glaube nicht, = I don't believe so,
> 
> Möchten Sie etwas probieren? Ich habe viel gekauft. = Well, would you like to try some? I bought plenty.
> 
> 10 Hühnernuggets = 10 Chicken Nuggets
> 
> Äh, wir bringen Sie vier zu einem DNA-Test und wahrscheinlich einer allgemeinen Untersuchung Ihrer Gesundheit in ein Krankenhaus in Wien. = Uh, we're gonna be taking you four to a hospital in Vienna for a DNA test and probably a general exam of your health,
> 
> Was zum Teufel ist ein 'DNA' -Test und warum müssen wir nachsehen? Ringo wird es gut gehen, er hat gerade eine zufällige Erkältung bekommen, = What the hell is a 'DNA' test, an' why do we need checkin' up on? Ringo'll be fine, he just got some random cold,
> 
> Bei einem DNA-Test oder anscheinend einem Desoxyribonukleinsäuretest spucken Sie im Grunde genommen in ein Röhrchen, und die Ärzte können feststellen, ob Sie es wirklich sind oder nicht - nicht, dass ich bezweifle, dass Sie wirklich Sie sind, wir brauchen nur eine Bestätigung. = A DNA test, or Deoxyribonucleic acid test apparently, is basically where you spit into a tube, and the doctors can tell if it's really you or not - not that I'm doubting you're really you, we just need confirmation.
> 
> Eh, gut, wir werden gehen, = Eh, fine, we'll go,
> 
> Okay, dann komm schon. = Alright, come on then.


	5. Chapter 4: Who Will Love Me 'Till The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, thanks for reading my fic! I hope you’re doing well <3 I’m going to try to be as accurate as possible, but I am going to take some creative liberties. The magazine described in this chapter is the National Enquirer, so credit to them. Anyways, enjoy this chapter! 💙

By the time the tiny police car was pulling into the Vienna hospital, the sun had risen and was illuminating the snow-covered buildings. Now that Paul could properly look around, he was astonished at how different everything was. Sure, it had been over half a century, but still he hadn't been expecting everything to be **this** different. It was almost as if they had entered a city made by aliens, instead of the serene Vienna he had been through six days ago. Paul's bandmates seemed to be just as fascinated, with Geo intently studying the wild-looking cars that pulled off to the side as the little police car drove through, and the messy-haired yet beautiful John was squinting and pressing his face against the window in a failed attempt to view the distant city. Even sickly Rings was leaning over slightly and looking around blearily. They eventually found themselves pulled into a spot meant for ambulances. In fact, numerous ambulances surrounded the police car, their sirens loud and lights flashing rapidly. Patients young and old were being rolled out of the ambulances and wheeled into the building, creating a fast-paced, chaotic scene. In the midst of it all, a short, muscular black woman with long, thick light brown hair dressed in a doctor's uniform strolled out, seemingly unfazed. As she approached the car, the policeman hurriedly ushered the four out and onto the pavement to greet the bird. Before they could even say anything, the police car speeded off. Rude.

"Oh damn, y'all really are The Beatles, huh?" Paul jumped at the woman's voice, turning around from his fixation on the police car speeding away and back to face her. She had thin lips, narrow dark brown eyes, and two small flag pins on her white coat; one had five horizontal stripes of pink, white, purple, black, and blue, while the other horizontally striped in rainbow colors. Who knew what those meant, but it was a shocking sight to have a black person - a woman no less - be a doctor. A welcome sight, of course. The future didn't seem THAT bad anymore.

"Someone speaks English 'round here then?" John quipped, crossing his arms and smiling slightly at the bird. Blinking in confusion for a moment, Macca realized that while he was distracted with her appearance, she had actually spoken English. Sounded like some sort of Southern American accent, which made him wonder why exactly she had ended up in Austria. 

"Yes, I'm from Nevada. The name's Rose Amador, I go by h-" She hesitated, looking off to the side for a split second, before looking back up at John with a cheery smile and continuing. "Uh, which one are you?"

Rose held out her hand to John, who laughed as he shook hands with her. George scoffed and looked towards the horizon wistfully, while Ritchie glanced around, sniffling. I guess they really were mostly obsolete in the twenty-first century, but it was fair enough. Paul hadn't ever heard a song from 1910, so it did make sense that this woman would only know the band name as a formerly famous band many years ago. 

""m Theodore," responded John with a smirk, using one of his old tricks he used on many reporters. Rose didn't doubt it either, nodding with a small smile. Usually Paul would just laugh and let John play them, but the bird was too gorgeous and polite to let John have it this time. Breaking up the handshake, Paul slid in and lightly shoved John off to the side.

"No, he's John and m' name's Paul," He corrected with a charming look, eyeing up the woman who held in laughter. Before Johnny could protest, Paul continued. "The quiet lad over here's George, and our favorite sick boy right 'ere is Ringo. Pleased to meet'cha!"

Rose chuckled and shook her head as she took out her notepad and reread it, while John glared sarcastically at Paul before giggling. Paul chuckled too, but his eyes began to drift towards John's gorgeous hands. Meanwhile, a delayed Ringo looked up at the sound of his name, and Geo simply rolled his eyes.

"Okay...I'll be taking you all into a reserved room inside the hospital, where I'll do a normal medical checkup on you four, see if Ringo here has anything serious, and then we'll take a sample of your saliva for a DNA test, which-"

"Ah, the police already told us what 'at is," Paul butted in gracelessly, interrupting the woman's short speech with a charismatic wink. Rose sighed in relief, and continued.

"Well, after that, test results will take one to two days to come back, and then we can confirm that you're all yourselves. Plus, it'll tell us where your ancestors have come from, which is fun!" She finished off with a pleasant smile, and the boys all made various noises of affirmation. Subconsciously, Paul fumbled for John's hand, and they both held on tightly. So, while everyone else bustled around them, rushing to treat other patients, Rose calmly led them inside the hospital building.

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

The hospital room was of decent size and was painted a melancholy yellow, while the floors were a tan tile. Random paintings of various landscapes hung around the room, and a thinner rectangular-no, computers, were they? A thin computer hung on the wall opposite from the hospital bed, and below it there were two cushioned brown chairs on either side of a wooden table with a hideously designed magazine atop it. Another small built-into-the-wall surface held a sink, a clipboard, and basic medical supplies, and a small white table next to the hospital bed had a vase full of beautiful yellow flowers on it. The hospital bed itself was surprisingly large, and on the right of the room was a large window with cheap white curtains. It honestly looked pretty nice, though there weren't enough chairs for them all.

After some convincing from the doctor, Ringo begrudgingly hauled himself onto the hospital bed and made himself as comfortable as he could. Of course, Geo was examining the flowers, breathing in their aroma and admiring their beauty. That left John and Paul for the chairs, and it wasn't until Paul had sat down until he noticed that he was still holding Johnny's hand. Quickly, he let go and pretended to be occupied with the magazine, exhaling a sigh of relief when he saw that Rose hadn't caught them. They weren't in love, after all. They were just...close, but he was sure Rose would mistake the gesture for something loving. John chuckled at his worriedness, and leaned back onto the wall with one leg bouncing up and down subconsciously, watching Rings as best he could.

While Rose examined Ringo out of the corner of Paul's eye, he translated the magazine's flashy cover, hoping to maybe get a bit of insight into modern-day events. The headline read, "DEFIANT MEGHAN ATTACKS QUEEN, 93; **'DROP DEAD!'"** and slightly below that, "⬛ We're **BIGGER** than the **ROYAL** family & don't need **YOU!** " Paul's eyes widened, and with a stunned smile he made a bewildered noise. The Queen was still alive? To the right of the headline there was a high-quality picture of what he assumed was the Queen, yet much older and with pure-white hair. He did suppose she would get the best healthcare available, but _still_. 

"Hey, Johnny? Look at this," When Macca got John's attention, he shoved the cover into John's face, which only caused him to rapidly lean back and helplessly try to read the text. Chuckling after a few moments, he turned his attention to Paul.

"I can't feckin' read it, you idiot!" He grumbled, but there was a sweet smile on his face despite his best efforts to hide it. God, he was adorable and gorgeous. After a few moments of being enamored with John, Paul snapped out of it and explained.

"I know, but y'see this old mess? Thas' Queen Elizabeth II! _Our_ Queen Elizabeth!" exclaimed Paul, rapidly pointing at the side of the magazine with the Queen's picture on it. John had snorted and shook his head, but the hairstyle and face was almost exactly the same, minus aging. It _had_ to be her. Hearing the Queen's name, George wandered over and blinked rapidly at the image of the old woman. Distantly, Macca picked up a chuckle coming from Rose, who was in the midst of checking Ritchie's reflexes. Eventually, Geo went back to hovering over Ringo like a mother hen, and Paul returned to reading the magazine's cover. He did wonder, still, who exactly this "Meghan" character was? She was most likely the bird shown on the left side, but was she one of the Queen's children? Grandchildren? Children's wives? Grandchildren's wives? Whoever she was, she must wholeheartedly despise the Queen. Shrugging, he moved on to mentally translating the other two headlines.

" **SECRET SEPARATION** \- GEORGE AND AMAL'S HOUSE OF HORRORS" was the next headline, and on either side were two small pictures of a graying man with a beard and a woman with shiny dark brown hair. They must be George and Amal, and they were getting a divorce or something? Paul guessed that this was just another celebrity couple that was the topic of much gossip and rumors. The other headline read " **WHAT YOU DIDN'T SEE ON TV** \- DIVORCE NIGHTMARE BEHIND NASCAR CRASH! RYAN NEWMAN HOSPITALIZED" Beside the headline there was a nasty photo of a banged-up car with fire trailing behind it, and another picture of a young man with a camouflage hat on. He had heard of NASCAR before, as some sort of car-racing competition in the States. Well, he wasn't too sure if a divorce would be behind a crash, but he hoped that Ryan Newman person got better soon.

"Ringo's just got a common cold y'all, he'll be fine," Rose announced randomly, making Paul jump and drop the magazine onto the floor. No one seemed surprised, and George simply hummed in acknowledgement, while John nodded. "We'll put him on some fever medication, get the room humidifier going, and we'll have liquids on hand of course. If anyone'd like to volunteer to go next, now's your chance,"

"I'll go next," Geo shrugged, and plopped down on the hospital bed right beside Rings. Things went like this for a while, with George being given a clean bill of health, then John (despite his incorrect mumblings about being overweight), then Paul himself. He had tried to read through the magazine, but the design was terrible and most of it seemed to be just rumors and gossip, which he couldn't support, being famous himself. Or, would it be formerly famous? Who knew at this point.

Rose then left the room, got a large glass of water and a few pills she called "ibuprofen" that'd help with his fever, along with turning on a built-in humidifier. She also brought with her the four DNA tests.

"I realized that another reason you all have to take these is because there may be disputes about your finances without any confirmation that it's really **you**. I don't know much about your future selves, but your estates and future Ringo and Paul may withhold money," She added as she tucked the four completed tests into a small plastic tray. Paul did understand the reason that the world would need assurance that it was really all four Beatles, as it seemed even in 2020 time travel didn't exist, but withholding money? If a similar situation had happened and he was put into his old version's shoes, he most definitely would give a decent portion of their finances. What, had fame turned him and Rings into big arseholes or something? And-

"Alright, but why are ye saying 'your estates'? 's me and Geo too old and decrepit to handle our own finances, or what?" John asked Rose the same question Paul had. Why was she only mentioning himself and Ritchie by name? Johnny and George couldn't be dead, right? Yet, by the reaction Rose had, it was a very real and terrifying possibility. She froze, her face contorting into one of fear, then worry as her dark brown eyes drifted to the floor. There was a pregnant pause, the four sharing scared looks, before Rose had sighed and hesitantly continued.

"Well, uh...I'm not sure how to put this...but John and George? You're, erm...dead...uh, and only Paul and Ringo are alive today," She said slowly, clearly uncomfortable as she looked anywhere but the four. Paul's eyes began to water involuntarily. How was his future self even alive without John, let alone Geo? Paul was sure that if John had dropped dead right now, he'd die too from heartbreak. As he immediately became transfixed on John, John himself seemed unfazed, nodding without a shred of sadness evident. Knowing him, though, John was probably just as taken aback by the news. Meanwhile, a dazed Ringo clinged onto George as if when he let go, George would disappear into thin air. Geo looked terrified, with shoulders hung low as he held Rings just as tightly. 

"...how? Can - can we prevent it?" He asked, looking back up at Rose with scared but determined dark brown eyes. Rose jumped a little, before pausing in thought and answering relatively quickly.

"Um, well, you die from throat cancer caused by smoking, which I can-" Without hesitation, Geo took out his pack of cigarettes and lighter that was in his pocket, and handed it over to a surprised Rose with a sickened look as he gulped. Ringo also grabbed his pack and gave it to George, who gave it to Rose as well. John stared at his pack and lighter for a bit, before letting Rose have his as well. Paul shared cigs with John, and he was enveloped in a panic-ridden state of daydreaming, so he continued to stand there beside the hospital bed and stare into space. Rose looked at her hand full of cigarette packs and lighters, investigating them and finally putting them in her doctor coat pockets, before glancing at John. "And you...you get shot, John,"

"Fair enough," responded John, shrugging lightly as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Paul could tell, though, that by the look in his eyes Johnny was equally as scared as the rest of them. Suddenly, while Paul's mind screamed at him to stop, he grabbed John and pulled him into a rough but tight hug. He didn't even notice that the both of them were crying until George offered them both a handful of tissues. 

After a long while, the room had entered a stunned silence as Rose finished cleaning up and both John and Paul settled back into their chairs, hands being strongly held. Ringo and George murmured to each other as Rings drank the glass of water, never taking their eyes off of each other. But, as Rose was about to leave and let the four process the information, John brought up a question Paul forgot he even had.

"What do the stripey flag pins on yer shirt mean?" Rose froze in her tracks once more, and turned around with genuine fear in her eyes this time. George tilted his head and eagerly waited for the explanation, just as curious as Paul was on the subject. She blinked rapidly, before heaving a sigh and explaining.

"Well, uh, here in the year of our Lord, 2020, LGBTQIA+, or lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans-questioning-intersex-asexual plus, is okay. It's um...legal. The rainbow pin stands for my sexuality, which is gay, and the other flag means that I identify as genderfluid, or that I have no real set gender. It changes from day-to-day, but I usually use he-slash-him pronouns...I understand that this may be a...a change-" It was okay? To love the opposite sex? Paul and Johnny stared at him in disbelief, before hugging tightly once more and laughing. Ringo and George had similar, overjoyed reactions, Ringo grinning from ear to ear and George looked from Rings to Rose with wide, happy eyes.

"That's - that's great, honestly," Geo spoke for all of them as he said this, and Rose smiled back, sighing in relief. "And 'm sorry for, uh...misgendering you? Is that a word?"

"Yes! Yes it is, and it's okay. Really, I thought that since - since you all are from the 1960s, you wouldn't be as...accepting, I guess," He sputtered, running a hand through his long hair and chuckling a little. John looked at him, beaming but with a raised eyebrow.

"Jus' because we come from an un-accepting time doesn't mean we hate gays," Johnny said with a laugh, and Rose paused before nodding. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm interested in girls and boys, is there a word for 'at?"

"Uh, bisexual! Yeah, being bi is being attracted to two different genders," Rose explained with wide eyes, while Paul began to panic. John better not say that he was with Paul, that would just be untrue and a disaster. They were just friends, after all. John smiled and leaned back again, closing his eyes and spacing out, with the same leg still bouncing.

Rose soon left the boys' hospital room, leaving the four in a shocked yet peaceful silence. As the sun continued to beam through the window, and chattering was heard from other sides of the walls, Paul sighed, and allowed himself to lean back and space out as well, a content smile on his face. Future John may be dead, but Paul still had **his** John, and with it being legal and socially acceptable to identify as a different gender? Different sexuality? The future didn't seem so bad. Eventually, he dozed off, dreaming of Paris and banana milkshakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand thank you for reading! They've learned some good and bad things about 2020, but in the end the good outweighs the bad :) Comments and kudos are appreciated, and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night ^^


End file.
